Method of reclaiming metal portions of electrical apparatus



July 30, i929. c. A. HALLAM METHOD OF RECLAIMING METAL PORTIONS OF,ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed March 26, 1926 Patented l.lilly 3G, 1929..

CECIL ALFRED HALLAM, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF RECLAIMING METAL PORTIONS OF ELECTRICAL APPARATUS.

Application-med March 26, 1926. Serial No. 97,638.

rl`his invention relates vto methods of reclaiming metal portions of electrical apparatus, and more particularly to methods of reclaiming the metal portions of electrical condensers, such as are used in telephone systems.

Insome types of electrical condensers used in telephone systems, alternate thin sheets of metal foil or other electrical conducting material and waxed paper or other forms of dielectric are tightly wound into a compact form around a pair of electrical terminals and sealed in a metal container. When such condensers become damaged or outlive their usefulness they are replaced by new condensers, but it has heretofore been impractical to satisfactorily reclaim in a commercial way the metalportions of the impaired condensers.

The objects of the present invention are tov provide a simple, economical and efcient method of reclaiming the metal portions ofv electrical apparatus.

According to the main features of the invention, a number of condensers are placed in a foraminous drum and the sealing compound, which holds the units in the containers, is ignited to furnish the sole source of heat for melting the metal foil and the solder joining portions of the containers. When the compound ceases to burn, the drum is rotated to separate the units from the containers, the melted metal being collected in a suitable receptacle and the charred paper serving to prevent oxidation of the molten metal during the burning of the sealing compound and during the collection ofthe molten metal. After the molten metallic portion is collected, the unmelted containers and terminals are removed from the drum and baled.

The invention will be more fully understood from the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 isa front elevation of a mechanism embodying the invention and which may be used for performing the process, part of the mechanism being broken away to illustrate the structure of the drum;

F ig.` 2 is a side elevation thereof, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, diagrammatic, longitudinal section of a typical electrical condenser of the type used in telephone systems.

In the drawings in which like numerals designate similar members throughout the several views, the numeral 10 refers generally to a refractory housing preferably made of fire brick suitably reinforced by metal girders. The housing consists of sides 11, back 12, top 13, and inclined bottom 14. The front ot' the housing is provided with a downwardly `extending portion 15 and an upwardly extending portion 16 leaving a large charging aperture 18. The charging aperture 18v is normally covered by a vertically sliding door 17 'to which is attached a wire cable 19. This cable. passes over a pair of pulleys 2O and is also attached to a counter-balance 21. This counter-balance 21 is of substantially the same weight as the door 17 so that the door may be readily raised. The door is guided in its vertical path by a pair of U-shaped'channel bars 22 and is provided with a suitable handle 23. A tapping pipe 24 extends through the front portion 16 of thehousingnear the inclined bottom 14. It isto be noted that the bottom 14 is inclined toward the tappingA pipe 24,

from the back toward the `front, vand also l from the right toward the left, asseen in Fig. 1, so that all of themolten metal which collects on the bottom y14 may b e withdrawn. A stack 25 extends from the` top 13 upwardly to a suitable height and the stack is provided with a damper 26 for regulating the draft. A gas burner 27 extends through the left hand wall 11 ofthe housing, as seen in Fig. 1, which burner is connected to a gas main.

A hollow water-cooled shaftV 28 extends fromside to side throughthe housing and is supported by a pair of standards 2,9 iitted with anti-friction bearings 30 of any suitable type. A pulley 31 is keyed to the shaft 28 and the shaft is rotated Vby Ameansof a belt 32 passingover the pulley 3l'and connected to a suitable source. of power. Mounted on the shaft 28 within the housing 10 is a foraminous drum 33, the periphery of which is provided with a plurality of holes 35. The drum 33 is fitted with a charging door 36 which is fas-r tened to the drum by means of lugs 37 fitting over bolts 38.

The condensersto be reclaimed are indicated in Fig. lvby the numeral 45. These condensers, which are shown in detail in Fig. 3, consist of a metallic container 40made of tinned metal soldered together, within which casing are a pair of conductors 41 about which are tightly wound alternate layers of very thin metal foil 43, suchas tin foil and waxed or paraiiined paper 42. rlhe resulting roll is sealed in the container by a suitable binder 44 made of asphalt and resin.

It is thought that a description of the apparatus and its operation will showl inpdetail the manner in which the new process is practiced. In the operation of the apparatus,

A the door 17 is raised to expose tne foraminous drum 33. The drum is rotated until the charging door 36`is in the position shown in\ waxed paper continue to burn and thereby furnish all of the heat necessary to melt the solder from the containers and the metal foil of the Condenser proper, the containers and terminals remaining unchanged. As soon as the binder ceases to burn, the drum is rotated causing the containers to fall apart and to remove the condenser units therefrom. Dur- -ing the lrotation of the drum, the resulting charred paper and the molten metal fall through the perforations in the drum, into f the lower portion of the furnace, 'and onto the inclined bottom '14. The molten metal is withdrawn through the .tapping pipe 24 into a suitable mold. After all 'of the molten metal and paper have been removed, the rotation of the drum is stopped and the containers and terminals are Vremoved therefrom. The containersandtermina-ls are allowed to cool and then compressed invbales.v A.

, Only a part of the paper in the condensers burns, the remainder being merely charred, thereby producing a suitable non-oxidizing Y material. substantially enclosing the globules of molten metal produced from the foil during the burning operation. v The particles of carbon produced from the paper fall into the lower portion o f the furnace with the molten metal and also serve toprevent Yoxidation of the molten metal collected therein. It is believed thatl the presence of charred paper is one of the principal factors in making the method a success, while, of course, the fact that no heat is necessary except that generated by the -burningof the binder and a portion of the waxed paper, makes the process very economical.

Whatis claimed is: 1. A method of reclaiming metallic material lenveloped by combustible substances which consists in igniting one of said combustible substances to' render said metallic material fluid and to reduce the other combustible substance to prevent oxidation of the metallic material, agitating the mixture maining portions thereof.

to cause the separation of the metallic material, and depositing the residue of the combustible substance and the metallic material in the same receptacle. 1

' 2. A method of reclaiming metallic material enveloped by .combustible materials, which consists in burning one of the combustible materials to furnish heat to melt the metallic material, converting the other combustible material into a reducing medium for the metal, and agitating and sifting the remaining material `to separate the molten metal and the reducing medium fromthe residue.

3. A method of reclaiming metal portions from composite articles, comprising metal portions Vand non-metallic combustible material, which consists in igniting the combustible material of the articles to heat the. articles, subjecting the articles `to a reducing atmosphere, and agitating the heated articles to separate the remaining portions.

4. A method of reclaiming metal portions from composite articles, comprising f metal portions and non-metallic combustible material, which consists in igniting the combustible material of the articles to heat the articles, limiting the amount of oxygen pres-l l ent to effect incomplete combustionfand agitating the heated articles t-o separate the re- 5. A lmethod of reclaiming separately metaly portions of articles, comprising a metal container enclosing metal of a lower meltingpoint wrapped in a combustible ymaterial, initially'igniting the combustible ma- 95 terial to heat the assembled articles and p thereby melt the metal of the lower meltingv point, limiting the amount of oxygen present to effect incomplete combustion, agitating the heated articles to disintegrate the containers from the residue, and separately collecting the containers andthe molten metal and resi# due of thecombustible material.

6. A method of reclaiming metal portions from composite articles," comprising metal portionsand non-metallic combustible material, which consists in placing said articles in a container, igniting the combustible mate-v rial of the articles while the container isstationary to heat the articles, limiting the amount of oxygen present -to effect incomplete combustion, andagitating the container after combustion ceases to separate the remaining portions thereof. y

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my naine this 12th day of March A. D., 1926.

CECIL ALFRED VHALLAM. 

